Photo enlarging easel equipment



p 1940- w. J. HILL 2,213,313

PHOTO ENLARGING EASEL EQUIPMENT Filed Feb. 4, 1939 Inveniar IVilIiamrlfiill.

Patented Sept. 3, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 5 Claims.

The invention hereinafter to be described relates, in general terms, tophoto-print enlarging apparatus. It deals more specifically with anenlarging easel whose primary function is to support the sensitizedpaper while being exposed, but which is so constructed and arranged thatit may also serve as one of the elements in a press for flattening theprints after being developed and washed, and as a component part of acutting device for trimming the prints subsequent to their beingflattened and taken from the press.

In the conventional type of enlarging easel the print paper is usuallylocated and maintained in proper relation to the projecting apparatus bya swinging frame having arms and gauge members adjustable to differentsizes of paper.

The necessity for resetting and rearranging the adjustable members fordifferent sizes of prints, together with the requirement of separategauging points for the border portions permits of errors easily beingmade, with a consequent excessive trimming of the finished prints.

In the present invention I have evolved an easel equipment the objectsand advantages of which, briefly stated, include selective and positivepositioning of the print frame for standard sizes of, print paper to beexposed, requiring no measuring or readjusting of partsfor differentsize frames; facilities for repositioning the print frame so that it maybe disposed normal to its previous position on the easel, with thecentral point, measured bothlongway and shortway of the print,coinciding, and in line with the focal point of the projectingapparatus; and its adaptability for service when employed in associationwith other elements in carrying out various other operations required tobe performed on the print.

For a clearer understanding of the-import of my invention referenceshould be had to the description found in the following specification,when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing disclosing anembodiment which, at the present time, I consider preferable to otherpossible forms in which the invention might be carried out.

In the drawing, in which like reference characters are employed toidentify like parts in all the different views,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of my easel with a print frame mountedthereon, and further illustrates facilities with which it is equippedwhich permits the easel to cooperatively function as the base element invarious capacities;

Fig. 2 shows the easel as the base member for a print press;

Fig. 3 illustrates it, in fragmentary view, as the base element in aprint trimmer;

Fig. 4 shows one corner of the easel of metal;

Fig. 4a shows the diagonally opposite corner of the metal easel;

Fig. 5 shows a perspective view of a printholding frame;

Fig. 6 is a section on line 6-6, Fig. 1;

Fig. 7 is a section on line 'l-1, Fig. 1;

Fig. 8 is a perspective of the knife-engaging end of the gauge;

Fig. 9 is an end view of the gauge, looked under the paper-cuttingblade;

Fig. 10 shows a heavy print frame;

Fig, 11 illustrates the method of inserting the print paper under theframe, it being entered through the open end;

Fig. 12 depicts the easel in position for making an enlargement, and

Fig. 12a is an alternate method of grooving the easel.

Referring to the drawing, Fig. 1 shows my easel upon which sensitizedprint paper mounted in a print frame, is exposed to the light projectedthrough a negative, from any conventional projecting apparatus, P. A.shown in brief outline in Fig. 11.

The easel l is rectangular in shape, and made of wood, metal or othermaterial, with grooves 2 cut in its upper face, both longitudinally andtransversely thereof. The grooves which run lengthwise are preferablyspaced so that they are arranged symmetrically with those disposedcross-wise of the board, as for instance, the distance a, between thetwo inner grooves running in one direction is the same as the distance abetween the grooves which are disposed normal to the two first groovesmentioned; and the same applies to the distance I) and b, and all otherpairs of corresponding grooves by which the board is cut.

However it is wholly a matter of choice insofar as the particulardisposition or arrangement of the grooves is concerned, provided thelongitudinal and transverse pairs of grooves for any particular size ofprint frame are, respectively, of equal spacing and preferably normal,one pair to the other.

In certain kinds of enlarging work, it might be desirable to have thegrooves arranged in such a manner that the central, focal point F. P. islocated nearer one end or one side of the easel, than is shown inFig. 1. This would move the when made whole arrangement toward the newF. P. location. This is logical, and contemplated in my invention, asfrom practical experience, I have found it to be, at times, a desirableand convenient construction.

It is, therefore, to be understood that the arrangement shown in Fig. lis simply illustrative.

It is also obvious that, although the grooves are shown and described asrunning parallel with the sides and ends respectively, of the easel,they might, conceivably,-be arranged to point diagonally across theeasel in which case it would doubtless be necessary to position theprojecting apparatus at one corner of the easel, or arrange the negativeholder so that the same effect is produced.

And it will be understood that when, hereinafter, the terms longitudinaland transverse are used in describing the position of the grooves, itimplies grooves cutting each other at ninety degrees, rather than theirrelation to the sides or ends of the easel.

In Fig. 5 is shown my print frame. It comprises a flat, gnomonic shape,rectangular plate 3, with depending legs 30 on two sides and one end. Onthe other end, the legs 3a is removed to permit inserting the sensitizedpaper P beneath the horizontal portions 3 of the frame, as shown in Fig.11 of the drawing.

It will be observed that, each of the three legs 30. has a protuberantportion 3b. The reason for this detail of construction will hereinafterbe explained.

sensitized paper is apt to curl and must be held by some mechanicalmeans to keep it fiat.

For this reason certain operators of enlarging apparatus might prefer aframe which of itself is sufiiciently heavy tomaintain flatness of thesheet of paper without resort to other means. Such an arrangement isshown in Fig. 10 in which the vertical leg 3:: fills the groove 2widthwise, but does not seat in the bottom of it. In this instancedependence is placed on the weight of the frame to hold the paper fiat,

But the grooves, to receive these heavy frames,

to bear firmly against the sides 2a of the grooves in which the legs 30.are disposed, the bulging parts thrusting against the opposite sides 2bof the grooves. Dimension D of frame and easel are similar;

The legs 3a come short of seating on the bottom of the grooves in orderto -permit strong contact of the under faces 3d of the frame with theprint paper.

As the grooves are arranged symmetrically with respect to theirlongitudinal and transverse spacing, the print frame may be positionedlengthwise or crosswise of the easel, making it possible, withoutdisturbing the easel to change the composition of the picture from thelongway to the shortway of the print, and vice versa, by simply raisingthe frame, turning it ninety degrees and inserting it in correspondinglyspaced grooves running in a direction normal to the first grooves.

The grooves are cut and the frames made to accommodate commercial sizesof photo-print paper; it is obvious, however, that other grooves mightbe cut and frames made to fit any desired size of print paper.

I may elect to construct the print frame of material other than ofmetal, say of any of the numerous plastic compounds quite generally usedfor various other purposes.

One object in this particular construction would be the procuring ofvarious shade effects on the margins of the print.

With a metal frame this margin is blocked off by the horizonal legs ofthe frame and comes out white in the finished print, whereas withsemitransparent material for these frames a margin around the print, ofvarious color values and of not so pronounced contrast can be procured.

In the work of supplying enlarged reproductions from small negatives thephoto-worker has other operations to perform than those directlyconnected with the enlarging process, before the finished prints areready to deliver to his customer.

After exposing the sensitized paper it must, of course be subjected tothe developing, fixing and washing operations.

But even then it is not a finished product,- the print must be properlytrimmed. Before trimming, however, the prints must remain for a timeunder pressure to flatten them out, as otherwise they will curl and hemno condition to trim.

I have equipped my easel with facilities, both for flattening out theprints and thereafter trimming them.

At one corner of the easel when made of wood, I mount a fixture 4 whichhas a screw-threaded hole 5 on its top. v

Should the easel be made of metal this fixture would be an integral partof it, as shown in Fig. 4.

When the easel is of wood construction a hole 6 is made near thediagonally opposite corner of the easel, and in this hole is mounted asleeve 1 having on its lower end a head 1a which pre-v vents its beingupwardly withdrawn from the hole. The sleeve has a threaded hole 1b init;

Rising from the easel, with their lower ends engaging, respectively, thescrew-threaded holes 5 and lb, are two screw-threaded standards 8,vertically slidable on which is a press board 9.

While I prefer diagonal positioning of the standards 8, it is obviousthat they might be placed in other positions,-and that more than two innumber could be employed.

Each threaded standard 8 is equipped with a levered nut ID, the nutscontacting the upper face of the press board 9.

When a stack of damp photo-prints, interposed between blotters, isplaced between the base member of the easel and the press board, and thenuts l0 turned in a direction calculated to lower the press board, theprints, drying under pressure,

will be fiat and in condition to trim, if necessary,

when removed from the press.

The equipment last described is illustrated in Fig. 2.

The fixture 4 also has a bearing 4a in which may be journalled the shaftfor a swinging cutter blade I! of any conventional type.

The easel has a rabbeted side at la on which may be mounted a fixedcutting blade l2, secured to the easel by screws iZa operating in sizedholes l'2b in the easel.

To trim the photo-prints accurately there must be guiding means. Forthis purpose I provide an element l3 which is made angular incross-section and carries a scale S on its top side.

The vertical leg 13a. of the gauge member closely fits any of the slots2 in the easel, and when in place for right angular gauging purposes, aportion 130 extends under the blade 12, preventing that end of the gaugerising.

The vertical leg I30, is designed to seat in the bottom of groove 2, andwhen thus positioned the horizontal leg [31) is disposed slightly abovethe top face of the easel, forming a shelf under which the paper P isheld from rising while being trimmed.

With the ordinary print trimmer, the first part of the cut is usuallythe more difficult to make, due to the excessive angularity between thecutting blades tending to push the paper ahead.

After an inch or two of the out has been made, however, this shearingangle decreases and the cutting accordingly is more easily accomplished.

With my arrangement the gauge member I3 may be placed in a grooveopposite a point on the cutting blade where the cutting starts to bemore effective. Furthermore, my gauge may be placed in grooves runningparallel with the cutting blades, thus serving as a side gauge incertain instances.

When the easel is fixed, so that, relatively, there can be no horizontalmovement between it and the projecting apparatus, it becomes at timessomewhat of a task to locate a negative in the latter so that themargins of the picture, as projected, properly align with the locatingedges of the print frame. This is particularly true when the negative isof small dimensions.

For this reason I prefer to mount the easel preliminarily unattached toits supporting member, as for instance a table T.

Now, regardless of whether or not the negative is placed squarely in theprojector, the easel may be moved bodily and positioned so that thegrooves 2 align with the margins of the projected picture,

The easel may now be secured against lateral movement on its supportingmember T by pointed pins l4 operating in holes Na in the easel I.

In making a photo-print, either enlarging, reducing, or a full sizereproduction, the sight, meaning the area of the sensitized paper beingexposed to the light of the projecting apparatus,

may be varied by inserting in the print frame over the print paper amask having an opening of the desired size.

Three of the edges of the print paper and of the mask closely fit thecorresponding and respective faces 30 of the legs 3a of the print frame,insuring continuously accurate registering of the projected picture onthe print paper.

And herein lies the advantage of a print-paperholding device such as isillustrated in Fig. 5 of the drawing.

It serves in a dual capacity. The side walls or legs 3a constitutelateral stops for the paper and a mask if desired, on three edgesthereof, and the horizontal legs 3 bear on the top of the paper or themask if one is used, holding it, or them,

flat against the top face of the easel I.

In certain instances it might be desirable to extend the end of theeasel and mount the projecting apparatus thereon; or the two could besecured to a base member, common to both.

Moreover it is quite obvious that, in conjunction with the use of myimproved print frame, the easel might be, and in certain instances I mayelect to have it constructed with grooves running in one direction onlyas illustrated in Fig. 12a. This would be a special-purpose constructionand in no wise a full substitute for my preferred arrangement shown inFig, 1. B An easel incorporating structure a description of which hasherein been given, offers advantages to those who are handicapped forspace in their workrooms, as it forms the base element in three more orless distinct but co-related devices.

The easel is built in such a manner that a customer may, if he chooses,purchase the base portion and one or more print frames only, leaving forfuture consideration the investment in additional equipment to make up acomplete outfit. The accessories can be mounted on the easel withoutchanging or adding any paraphernalia to the easel proper, the attachingof the accessories being a very simple procedure and accomplished in afew minutes of time.

What I claim is:

1. An enlarging easel and equipment thereforadapted for use inphoto-print enlarging operations, comprising a rectangular base member,a plurality of grooves arranged symmetrically in pairs and cutting thetop surface of said base member both longitudinally and transverselythereof, a print frame for each pair of grooves, said print frameembodying a rectangular, gnomonic shape plate having an opening in itstop and .depending interconnecting legs on two sides and one end thereofonly, said legs adapted to be disposed and held in said grooves, and theplate portions of said frame to overhang the marginal portions of asheet of photo-print paper inserted thereunder and held fiat thereby,and an outwardly bulging portion formed on each of the said legs,adapted to provide contact with both sides of the groove to yieldinglyhold the print frame therein.

2. An enlarging easel and equipment therefor comprising a base member,two pairs of grooves cut in the top face of said base member, one pairbeing disposed normal to the other pair, a print frame embodyinginwardly overhanging portions on both sides and ends thereof, dependinglegs on two sides and one end only, said legs adapted to engage saidgrooves but to fall short of seating on the bottoms thereof, and anoutwardly bulged portion on each of said legs, said bulged portionsadapted to maintain the inside faces of the legs in engagement with theadjacent sides of the respective grooves in which they are disposed, bythrusting against the opposite sides of the grooves, to the end that theframe may be frictionally and yieldingly securedin said grooves.

3. An enlarging easel and equipment therefor adapted for use inconnection with a projecting apparatus for picture-enlarging purposes,comprising a base number having on its top face a plurality of pairs ofprint-frame-holding grooves out both longitudinally and transversely ofthe base member, either of said grooves adapted to further serve asmeans for securing on said base member a paper-cutter gauge, a pluralityof depending-leg, open-top print frames the legs of which are adapted,respectively, to be inserted in the particular pair of grooves ofequi-distance spacing, the two different-direction sets of grooves beingarranged in symmetrical order permitting said print frame to bere-positioned so that the image from the projected picture may appeareither longway or shortway of the print frame, a rabbet cut on the topand at one side of the base member with blade-attaching holes therein, abearing on said base member at the end of and disposed normal to thelongway of said rabbet, said bearing adapted to provide means to journala swinging cutter blade shaft, and means on said base member forsecuring it to its supporting body after the aligning of the projectedpicture with respect to the margins of the print frame has beencompleted.

4. An enlarging easel and equipment-attaching means therefor, comprisinga base member, a plurality of overlapping pairs of grooves cut in theface of said base member, a duplicate set of said grooves on the faceof, said base member disposed normal to the first mentioned grooves, aplurality of rectangular, gnomonic shape print frames each havingdepending legs on two sides and one end thereof, the legs on the sidesof each of said frames being spaced, respectively, to entercorrespondingly spaced grooves in said base member any and all of saidgrooves adapted, singly to further function as paper trimmer gaugesecuring means, screw-threaded apertures at the marginal portions ofsaid base member, adapted, respectively, to receive screw-threadedstandards for supporting a press board, a shallow rabbet cut on the topface at one side of said base member adapted to receive a fixedpaper-cutting blade, and means on the end of said base member, disposednormal to said rabbet, for mounting a swinging-blade-carrying shaft.

5. An easel equipment adapted for use in photo-enlarging andprint-finishing operations comprising a base member, grooves cut in thetop face thereof, a print-paper-holding frame structure having anopening in the top thereof, said structure embodying a horizontal plateportion adapted to overlie the base member inwardly of said grooves andto constitute mask ng means for the borders of the print-paper to beexposed, and legs depending from said plate portion adapted to slidablyfit and substantially fill the grooves widthwise thereof when saidstructure is operably positioned on the base member, said legs being ofsuch a depth as to come short of seating in the grooves when the printpaper is inserted beneath the horizontal portions of the framestructure, and of such weight as to serve as means to hold the printpaper flat on the top of the base member while an exposure is beingmade.

WILLIAM J. HILL.

